South Block Barbecue & Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Calgary

Overall a poor experience stemming from long wait times, poor service, average food, and a handful of other annoyances that dog piled on to make it worth writing a bad review for.

Tried calling their number at 10pm to inquire about their 1/2 off of 1/2 lb deal and it goes to some error code. They close at midnight so there's no reason that I don't even get a busy tone. So their phone is busted, great. I don't see their 1/2 off deal on the online ordering or their website and I can't call so I guess I'll just head down there. I think, oh I don't live too far, 3-4 minute walk, I'll go and order takeout. I'm almost never in the mood to take advantage of their late night meat deal just because it is so late. I get there and we're greeted, told to sit anywhere, and then it takes 5 minutes to even get service. There was 2-3 other tables which makes it a little inexcusable that we had to wait that long to even talk to a server.

I order one of each of the 1/2 lb meats because I'm excited to try their menu. As I finish my order I'm only then asked if I'm here to take advantage of the deal. What? Only after getting there, waiting for 7-10 minutes that we're told that it's a dine-in only offer. That's not written anywhere I could see, nor was it written on their menu that I had plenty of time to peruse while waiting. I wouldn't have shown up if I could have found that information online or through a phone call. I'm also not digging through reviews and third party websites to find some terms and conditions that you won't list anywhere officially. Not only is it dine-in only, but you also have to purchase a drink. Again, nowhere is this fine print written because I looked. I'm not trying to be miserly, but the deal was the incentive to try the place to begin with. They then have the nerve to suggest that there's a 'hack' where you can buy a tiny cup of beer for 2-3$. That's still a surcharge in my books. 1/2 off, just with a minimum purchase of 3$. Fine, just be transparent about it.

I take responsibility in that I should have left with my friend then and there, but sunk cost fallacy was working harder than anyone in that building. So I order two items, down from my initial five, and then we had to wait 20 minutes still. I'm checking my phone to see how long this is all taking and it's 10:43 pm before I see our food being brought over. Oh wait, we don't have plates. Oh wait, we don't have cutlery. Oh wait, we don't have sauces. Oh wait, those sauces were either stuck in the bottle and refused to budge or watery beyond belief that it spilled everywhere. Can't tell what they were at a glance because it's not written on the bottle and our server couldn't be bothered to tell us. The flavors were gold, blue, red and something else. Figure that out.

We ordered the brisket and pork belly. The second last bite of brisket was the only one with flavor and seasoning to it. I had to waste as much time writing this review just slapping bottles to get the sauces out to make it interesting to eat. I really hope they weigh the pork belly before they add the peach apricot because that stuff was almost half the bowl. Knowing it was half off made it easier to swallow as I can't imagine paying full price for what we got.

Having worked as a server for over a decade and even just being a normal person who eats out occasionally, I've honestly never been this disappointed in the whole experience of a restaurant. I didn't feel welcome or comfortable at any point. Writing the review and having to relive just how disappointing it all was takes my initial score...

Super impressed! First of all Erin, our waitress was beyond amazing. So hospitable. She went above and beyond, meeting all our needs before we had a chance to mention them! Gave us amazing recommendations, nothing was too much to ask. She was extremely friendly and she just really made our experience just that much better! Ben, who I believe is the manager was also amazing. We ran into a small issue with some beer we bought to take home being labelled incorrectly (we ordered a mix and match four pack of beer) we noticed when we got home and I reached out to Ben and he contacted me promptly! We came back the following weekend and he not only replaced the mislabeled four pack of beer for free, he gave us another four pack on the house as well! Ben went above and beyond for us and that really made a big impression on my husband and I. He personally came and spoke with hs on two occasions on our second visit and he couldn’t have been any nicer! He really made us feel valued.

The food here is also top notch! We have had the pulled pork, brisket and the turkey and wow, all three are delicious! The pasta salad and potato salad were amazing! Corn bread with the honey butter is addictive! We also had desserts, the cheesecake was maybe the best we have had in ages and the lemon meringue tart was too good! Beer there is also killer! The atmosphere is great! The patio is super cozy, lots of space to sit in the shade or in the sun whichever your preference. There is lower level bar as well that I’m sure is used in the evening that has a stage for live bands, which was pretty cool! This place has a lot going for it and we cannot wait to come back again and again. Definitely check this place out if you have yet to do so, you will not be...

Went there with a large group of people that took up two tables in the basement. The waitresses did an awesome job of keeping track of everyone even though we kept moving around.

I ordered the apricot pork belly. It was nice and tender and I would order it again. My only criticism would be that the bites were not small enough to put in my mouth without cutting first but since it was served in a small bowl, cutting was a challenge.

They only have one cider, which they make themselves. It’s awful. I wish I could describe the aftertaste. Maybe metallic? I was trying to force myself to drink it but when my friend sent back her beer because she didn’t like it, I decided to do the same. To their credit, they took it off the bill without further discussion, which was good customer service. Unfortunately, I switched to $16 cocktails.

They had a solo artist with a guitar on stage. He was good but that kind of music isn’t conducive to dancing.

The seating in the basement is comprised of long tables with benches running perpendicular to the stage. Each bench holds 6-7 people. Very difficult to sit down between two people and almost impossible if you are wearing a dress or skirt. You have to lift each leg up so high that you expose yourself.

A couple odd things were that instead of filling up the tables in front of the stage those tables were left empty and they stuck us off to one side. So when the musician looked straight out from the stage, he just saw empty tables.

Another very odd thing (shown in picture) is that they had preset the table with glasses of water. Those glasses sat there unattended for God only knows how long and anyone could have...